Metal Slug 2
'Metal Slug 2: Super Vehicle-001/II '''is a horizontally scrolling run-and-gun shooter released by SNK in arcades via the Neo Geo MVS in 1998. The sequel to Metal Slug, it is generally considered one of the weaker entries in the Metal Slug series due to technical issues. It was followed by '''Metal Slug X '''in 1999, an updated version of Metal Slug 2 that features many enhancements and bug fixes. Metal Slug X was much better received and is considered one of the best games in the series. Story Two years after the original Metal Slug, the remnants of General Morden's army reconvene, leading the Peregrine Falcon Strike Squad to believe that Morden survived his apparent death and is planning another coup. Major Marco Rossi and Captain Tarmacle "Tarma" Roving spring back into action, and are joined by two members of the partnering S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S., an all-female spec ops team: Sargent Eri Kasamoto and Sgt. 1st Class Fiolina "Fio" Germi. The team soon discovers that Morden is indeed alive and has allied himself with a race of aliens called the Mars People, but where do their loyalties lie? Gameplay Metal Slug 2 plays similarly to the original Metal Slug, as players can jump, use guns and throw a limited supply of bombs, as well as pilot vehicles. Unlike the original, which forces Player 1 to play as Marco and Player 2 to play as Tarma, Players are free to choose between Marco, Tarma, Eri and Fio. The differences between the 4 characters are purely aesthetic, such as Eri occasionally kicking instead of using the knife. All weapons from the original Metal Slug return with three new additions * L: The Laser Gun is a single shot laser rifle that can shred enemy forces. It begins with 200 ammo and first appears in Mission 5 * Fire Bomb: An upgrade to the bombs that turns the bombs into Molotov Cocktails. These are first introduced in Mission 2 to assist in fighting the highly flammable mummies. * Armor Piercing Cannon: An upgrade to the Metal Slug's cannon that increases its damage and removes the arcing property of the cannon, In addition to the return of the titular Metal Slug, players have new vehicles to choose from * Camel Slug: Only appears in Mission 1. It is a camel equipped with the Metal Slug's laser cannon. It has no unique bombs, so the player just throws the bombs. * Slugnoid: Only appears in Mission 2. The Slugnoid is a leaping armored frame with two laser cannons and a cannon that fires downward. * Slug Flyer: Only appears in Mission 3. A VTOL jet plane that uses a laser cannon and can drop air missiles. Unlike other vehicles, two players can use it, with one piloting it and the other standing on the wing of the plane shooting at threats. Metal Slug 2 introduces transformations to the series, where characters gain different stats and abilities. There are two in this game. * Mummy: In Mission 2, when hit by the poison mist of a mummy or the poison baubles dropped by bats, the character is mummified. Their speed is reduced, their jump is delayed, they are forced to use the pistol, which fires at half speed, and they hesitate when throwing grenades. Mummification can be cured via death or antidote. * Big: Players become fat when they consume too many food items in a short amount of time. In Metal Slug 2, this is only possible in Mission 4, but in Metal Slug X, it becomes possible to do in each stage. The character's movement is greatly reduced, but their projectiles become bigger and the combat knife is replaced with a fork. This transformation ends when the diet powder pick-up is collected, the player walks for long enough without consuming too much food, or dies. The POWs return in Metal Slug 2, with the addition of two special POWs. They are: * Hyakutaro Ichimonji: First encountered in Mission 1, this POW looks like any normal POW in the game, but is secretly a martial arts master. He has mastered throwing fireballs, similar to Street Fighter's Hadouken, and can roundhouse kick nearby enemies. So long as the player doesn't die, Hyakutaro will remain with the player throughout the phase of the mission. * Rumi Aikawa: Known by fellow POWs as "The Wandering Ghost," Rumi is known for her oversized backpack. If the player finds her, they can knock helpful items out of the backpack by shooting it. She will also drop a few items when you rescue her. Rumi is first encountered in Mission 2. Missions Mission 1- Drifting in Desert: The assault begins in Saudi Arabia, where Morden's soldiers have joined forces with local rebels. Partway through the stage, the player encounters a building with missile turrets disguised as minarets. At the end of the stage, players fight the Keesi, a large aircraft manned by rocket launcher wielding soldiers that tries to incinerate the player with jet boosters Mission 2- Mountain of Depression: In the pyramids of Egypt, players soon discover the place overrun by Mummies. If not careful, they could join the undead fiends. At the end of the stage, the player enters the Slugnoid to take on Aeshi Nero, a serpentine excavator that attempts to crush the player with its gaping maw. It can also fire missiles and massive lasers from its mouth. Mission 3- Madrigal of Wind: Players board a rebel-occupied train in this mission. The boss of the stage is Dragon Nosuke, a crab-like tank similar to Iron Nokana from the original. Like Nokana, Nosuke has an undercarriage flamethrower. It also has propelled fireballs, a minigun, a cannon that shoots flaming balls and if the player walks underneath, it will try to crush them. Mission 4- Return to Hong-Kong: As the name implies, this mission is set in Hong Kong. While fighting the rebels, players can indulge in the local cuisine, where they may turn big. Partway through the stage, players will fight a double decker bus converted into rebel artillery. The player is then reunited with the classic Metal Slug. The boss of this stage is the Big Shiee, an amphibious tank with loads of turrets, including one big cannon. Mission 5- Kiss in the Dark: Set in New Godokin City, the player fights their way through the streets, which are full of highly explosive vehicles. After some time, the player enters the subway, where they must contend with runaway subway cars, tanks, and helicopters. A (not so) secret exit leads to an experimental lab overrun with crawling mutants that can explode. There are also items (and a Metal Slug) embedded in the ceiling that can be dislodged with a crank. The boss of the stage is Hozmi, a nuclear sub with a lightning cannon, poison bombs and a flamethrower. Final Mission- I Wish to Believe in Love: The last stand of Morden is in Siberia. Partway through the stage, the player has a rematch with Allen O'Neil which ends with him becoming a meal for an orca whale. Inside the base, the players first meet the Mars People, Morden's extraterrestrial allies. They aren't allies for long though as they betray and capture Morden and commandeer the Dai-Manji, a rebel UFO. The players and rebels enter an uneasy alliance to combat the alien threat. Upon destroying the Dai-Manji, the alien mothership Rugname appears and the final battle begins. Issues Though a worthy successor in theory, Metal Slug 2 suffers performance issues that ultimately make the game inferior to the original. The biggest issue with the game is slowdown. Metal Slug 2 pushes the Neo Geo hardware to its limits, but is poorly optimized, causing the game to lag when too much is occurring onscreen. The worst offender is Mission 3, where the sheer number of enemies slows the game to a crawl. Metal Slug 2 also has an infamous exploit during the boss fight with Aeshi Nero. If the player positions themselves on a certain platform, the boss cannot harm them and can only thrash helplessly as the player destroys them. Both these issues were fixed in Metal Slug X. ''Metal Slug X Due to the mixed reception of Metal Slug 2, SNK released Metal Slug X in 1999, as a sort of "Director's Cut" of the game. The following changes were made * Optimized the game to greatly decrease slowdown * Missions are set at different times of day * Rearranged soundtrack * Unique death cry for Fio * Four new weapons are added ** C: The Enemy Chaser is a rocket launcher that fires homing rockets. The starting ammo count is 40. ** I: The Iron Lizard fires remote controlled bombs on wheels that slide across the ground until they meet a target. The starting ammo count is 20. ** D: The Drop Shot fires bouncing grenades that can hit enemies in hard to reach place. The starting ammo count is 30. ** G: The Super Grenade is an RPG launcher. The starting ammo count is 20. * A new vehicle is added ** The SV-001 Type-R is a golden variant of the Metal Slug introduced in Mission 3. It can move faster and jump higher than the regular Metal Slug * A new announcer is introduced. * More items have been placed in each stage, particularly food, which allows the player to get fat. * Enemy placements are changed.Category:Games Category:Horizontally Run and Gun Shooters Category:SNK Category:Arcade Category:Neo Geo Category:Metal Slug Series Ports and versions The western releases of Metal Slug 2 and X were censored, with blood recolored white and some of the gorier death animations being cut. They were first uncensored in Metal Slug Anthology. Like most Neo Geo MVS titles, Metal Slug 2 saw a home port on the AES which is mostly identical to the MVS version. 1998 also saw the release of a port for Neo Geo CD. This version sees the return of Combat School, the mission-based arrangement previously seen in Metal Slug on Neo Geo CD, Saturn and PlayStation. The AES version was subsequently featured on the Metal Slug Anthology for PS2, PSP, Wii and PC, re-released on Steam by DotEmu and re-released on Wii Virtual Console. The MVS version was re-released on Nintendo Switch, Windows 10, PS4 and Xbox One as part of the ACA Neo Geo line. Metal Slug X was first ported to the Neo Geo AES in near identical fashion to Metal Slug 2. However, rather than being ported to Neo Geo CD (which was discontinued by that point,) X was ported to the PlayStation. This version also has Combat School and was localized for western audiences by Agetec. The AES version was subsequently featured on the Metal Slug Anthology for PS2, PSP, Wii and PC, re-released on Steam by DotEmu and re-released on Wii Virtual Console. The MVS version was re-released on Nintendo Switch, Windows 10, PS4 and Xbox One as part of the ACA Neo Geo line.